Dave's World

Dave's World is an American sitcom television series, created by Fred Barron, that aired on CBS from September 20, 1993, to June 27, 1997. The series is based on the writing of Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry.

Dave's World
Dave's World intertitle
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Fred Barron
Based on	Dave Barry's Greatest Hits and Dave Barry Turns 40 by Dave Barry
Starring	Harry Anderson DeLane Matthews Zane Carney Andrew Ducote Shadoe Stevens Meshach Taylor J.C. Wendel
Opening theme	"You May Be Right" by Southside Johnny
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	98
Production
Executive producers	Jonathan Axelrod James Widdoes Fred Barron
Producer	Faye Oshima Belyeu
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	The Producers Entertainment Group Ltd. Axelrod-Widdoes Productions Fred Barron Productions (seasons 1–2) Livestock Productions (seasons 1–2) Kitten in the Oven Productions (seasons 3–4) CBS Productions
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 20, 1993 (1993-09-20) – June 27, 1997 (1997-06-27)[1]

Plot

The show focuses on the daily trials and tribulations of columnist Dave Barry (Harry Anderson) and his wife, Beth (DeLane Matthews), along with their sons, Tommy (Zane Carney) and Willie (Andrew Ducote). Dave worked at the Miami Record-Dispatch (a fictionalized version of the Miami Herald, where Barry worked in real life), where Kenny Beckett (Shadoe Stevens) was his editor, although Dave typically worked from home, where Mia (J.C. Wendel) was his assistant. Neighbor Sheldon Baylor (Meshach Taylor) was a successful plastic surgeon and Dave's best friend from high school. Starting in the second season, the Barrys hired Eric (Patrick Warburton) to do some work on their house, which led to Eric and Mia dating and eventually moving next door to the Barrys and getting married. Later in the series, Dave completes a book based on his and his friends' lives during the 1960s, and Shel loses all of his money when his business manager runs off. Kenny is also fired from the newspaper and becomes a weatherman.

Setting and background

The show was set in Miami, Florida (Barry's actual city of residence), and was based on Barry's books Dave Barry's Greatest Hits and Dave Barry Turns 40.^[2]

The show's theme song was a version of Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" sung by Southside Johnny; however, it is not used in the DVD releases (see below).

During the run of the show, the real Dave Barry divorced his wife, Beth.^[3]

Cast

Main

• Harry Anderson as Dave Barry
• DeLane Matthews as Beth Barry
• Shadoe Stevens as Kenny Beckett
• J.C. Wendel as Mia
• Zane Carney as Tommy Barry
• Andrew Ducote as Willie Barry
• Meshach Taylor as Dr. Sheldon "Shel" Baylor
• Patrick Warburton as Eric (seasons 3–4)

Recurring

• Tammy Lauren as Julie (season 1)
• Eugene Roche as Eric, Jr. (season 3)
• Bea Arthur as Mel Bloom (season 4)

Episodes

Series overview

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	23		September 20, 1993 (1993-09-20)	May 2, 1994 (1994-05-02)
2	25		September 12, 1994 (1994-09-12)	May 22, 1995 (1995-05-22)
3	26		September 13, 1995 (1995-09-13)	May 20, 1996 (1996-05-20)
4	24		September 13, 1996 (1996-09-13)	June 27, 1997 (1997-06-27)[1]

Season 1 (1993–94)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Viewers (millions)
1	1	"Pilot"	James Widdoes	Fred Barron	September 20, 1993 (1993-09-20)	21.7[4]
2	2	"The Insecurity System"	James Widdoes	Fred Barron and Marco Pannette	September 27, 1993 (1993-09-27)	22.8[5]
3	3	"Martian Death Flu"	James Widdoes	Donald Todd	October 4, 1993 (1993-10-04)	20.4[6]
4	4	"The Anniversary Schmaltz"	James Widdoes	Marco Pannette	October 11, 1993 (1993-10-11)	21.9[7]
5	5	"The Great Mandala of Life"	James Widdoes	Fred Barron	October 18, 1993 (1993-10-18)	19.2[8]
6	6	"I Sort of Saw What You Did"	James Widdoes	Jennifer Heath	October 22, 1993 (1993-10-22)	11.7[8]
7	7	"It's a Small Van After All"	James Widdoes	Jennifer Heath	October 25, 1993 (1993-10-25)	20.8[9]
8	8	"Heatwave"	James Widdoes	Donald Todd	November 1, 1993 (1993-11-01)	20.6[10]
9	9	"Writer's Block"	James Widdoes	Stuart Silverman	November 8, 1993 (1993-11-08)	19.9[11]
10	10	"Educating Rita"	James Widdoes	Fred Barron and Marco Pennette	November 15, 1993 (1993-11-15)	21.6[12]
11	11	"Death and Mom Take a Holiday"	Unknown	Unknown	November 22, 1993 (1993-11-22)	19.8[13]
12	12	"Exorcising with Dave Barry"	James Widdoes	Donald Todd	November 29, 1993 (1993-11-29)	20.6[14]
13	13	"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus: Part 1"	James Widdoes	Marco Pennette	December 13, 1993 (1993-12-13)	18.7[15]
14	14	"I Saw Mommy Kicking Santa Claus: Part 2"	Unknown	Unknown	December 20, 1993 (1993-12-20)	19.3[16]
15	15	"Just Kidding"	Unknown	Unknown	January 3, 1994 (1994-01-03)	21.5[17]
16	16	"The Road Taken"	Unknown	Unknown	January 10, 1994 (1994-01-10)	21.9[18]
17	17	"Shel in Love"	Unknown	Unknown	January 24, 1994 (1994-01-24)	22.6[19]
18	18	"Four Characters in Search of a Ring"	Unknown	Unknown	January 31, 1994 (1994-01-31)	23.4[20]
19	19	"Lost Weekend"	Unknown	Unknown	February 28, 1994 (1994-02-28)	21.4[21]
20	20	"Rat Story"	Unknown	Unknown	March 7, 1994 (1994-03-07)	22.8[22]
21	21	"Six Years Old and All Washed Up"	Unknown	Unknown	March 14, 1994 (1994-03-14)	20.7[23]
22	22	"The Funeral"	James Widdoes	Marco Pennette & Fred Barron	March 28, 1994 (1994-03-28)	18.7[24]
23	23	"Saved by Estelle"	Unknown	Unknown	May 2, 1994 (1994-05-02)	14.6[25]

Season 2 (1994–95)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Viewers (millions)
24	1	"I Lost It at the Movies"	James Widdoes	Fred Barron & Marco Pennette	September 12, 1994 (1994-09-12)	18.3[26]
25	2	"The Last Auction Hero"	James Widdoes	Carol Gary	September 19, 1994 (1994-09-19)	19.0[27]
26	3	"A Room with a View"	Tommy Thompson	Tom J. Astle	September 26, 1994 (1994-09-26)	21.1[28]
27	4	"Please Won't You Be My Neighbor"	James Widdoes	Donald Todd	October 3, 1994 (1994-10-03)	20.1[29]
28	5	"You Can't Always Get What You Want"	James Widdoes	Fred Barron	October 10, 1994 (1994-10-10)	20.5[30]
29	6	"Gone with the Wind: Part 1"	James Widdoes	Carol Gary	October 17, 1994 (1994-10-17)	21.4[31]
30	7	"Gone with the Wind: Part 2"	James Widdoes	Donald Todd	October 24, 1994 (1994-10-24)	20.1[32]
31	8	"Lobster Envy"	James Widdoes	Marco Pennette & Fred Barron	October 31, 1994 (1994-10-31)	19.8[33]
32	9	"Family Membership"	James Widdoes	Donald Todd	November 7, 1994 (1994-11-07)	19.7[34]
33	10	"One Mump or Two?"	Tommy Thompson	Brian Hargrove & Jack Kenny	November 14, 1994 (1994-11-14)	20.8[35]
34	11	"The Donor Party"	James Widdoes	Carol Gary & Dylan Gary	November 21, 1994 (1994-11-21)	20.2[36]
35	12	"How Long Has This Been Going On?"	Tommy Thompson	Story by : Deborah Zoe Dawson & Jodie Mann Massimi Teleplay by : Fred Barron & Marco Pennette	November 28, 1994 (1994-11-28)	19.7[37]
36	13	"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"	James Widdoes	Donald Todd	December 5, 1994 (1994-12-05)	19.6[38]
37	14	"Dis Who's Coming to Dinner?"	James Widdoes	Mark Wilding	January 2, 1995 (1995-01-02)	23.2[39]
38	15	"A Pool's Paradise"	James Widdoes	Brian Hargrove & Jack Kenny	January 16, 1995 (1995-01-16)	20.4[40]
39	16	"Bear with Me"	James Widdoes	Sheryl J. Anderson	January 23, 1995 (1995-01-23)	19.3[41]
40	17	"A Cut Above the Rest"	James Widdoes	Marco Pennette	February 6, 1995 (1995-02-06)	20.9[42]
41	18	"The Country Girl"	James Widdoes	Fred Barron & Marco Pennette	February 13, 1995 (1995-02-13)	20.0[43]
42	19	"The Accidental Tourists"	James Widdoes	Mark Legan	February 20, 1995 (1995-02-20)	20.9[44]
43	20	"The Joint Venture"	Paul Kreppel	Tom J. Astle	February 27, 1995 (1995-02-27)	20.8[45]
44	21	"Those Wedding Shel Blues"	Jim Drake	Sheryl J. Anderson	March 13, 1995 (1995-03-13)	20.5[46]
45	22	"Nightmare on Maple Street"	James Widdoes	Brian Hargrove & Jack Kenny	April 10, 1995 (1995-04-10)	17.1[47]
46	23	"The Mommies"	James Widdoes	Mark Wilding	May 8, 1995 (1995-05-08)	16.0[48]
47	24	"Piano, No Strings"	James Widdoes	Donald Todd	May 15, 1995 (1995-05-15)	13.7[49]
48	25	"Tommy Doesn't Live Here Anymore"	James Widdoes	Mark Wilding	May 22, 1995 (1995-05-22)	13.7[50]

Season 3 (1995–96)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Viewers (millions)
49	1	"Cleanliness is Next to Nakedness"	Tim O'Donnell	Katherine Green	September 13, 1995 (1995-09-13)	13.9[51]
50	2	"It's Not About That..."	James Widdoes	Nick LeRose	September 20, 1995 (1995-09-20)	15.0[52]
51	3	"You Must(ang) Remember This"	Jim Drake	Brian Hargrove & Jack Kenny	September 27, 1995 (1995-09-27)	13.2[53]
52	4	"What the Early Bird Gets"	Jim Drake	Tom Reeder	October 11, 1995 (1995-10-11)	15.8[54]
53	5	"Do the Write Thing"	Tommy Thompson	Mark Legan	October 18, 1995 (1995-10-18)	14.8[55]
54	6	"Death of a Saleswoman"	Paul Kreppel	Sheryl J. Anderson	October 25, 1995 (1995-10-25)	12.6[56]
55	7	"Writing Wrongs"	Jim Drake	Harry Anderson	November 1, 1995 (1995-11-01)	13.7[57]
56	8	"Catch of the Day"	Tim O'Donnell	Nick LeRose	November 8, 1995 (1995-11-08)	13.2[58]
57	9	"Health Hath No Fury"	James Widdoes	Brian Hargrove & Jack Kenny	November 15, 1995 (1995-11-15)	12.8[59]
58	10	"Leave a Mystery at the Beep"	Jim Drake	Katherine Green	November 22, 1995 (1995-11-22)	10.0[60]
59	11	"The Green-Eyed Monster"	Henry Winkler	Tom Reeder	November 29, 1995 (1995-11-29)	12.4[61]
60	12	"Working Stiffs"	Jim Drake	Tim O'Donnell	December 20, 1995 (1995-12-20)	11.8[62]
61	13	"Pardon My Nuptials"	Jim Drake	Katherine Green	January 3, 1996 (1996-01-03)	12.7[63]
62	14	"Gator Bait"	Jim Drake	Nick LeRose	January 10, 1996 (1996-01-10)	13.1[64]
63	15	"Those Who Do Be Do Be Do"	Jim Drake	Katherine Green	January 31, 1996 (1996-01-31)	13.9[65]
64	16	"Fame"	Jim Drake	Rick Newberger	February 7, 1996 (1996-02-07)	11.4[66]
65	17	"Loves Me Like a Rock"	Jim Drake	Rick Newberger	February 14, 1996 (1996-02-14)	10.7[67]
66	18	"Nuts and Bolts"	Tommy Thompson	Nick LeRose	February 21, 1996 (1996-02-21)	11.5[68]
67	19	"My Girl"	Jim Drake	Brian Hargrove & Jack Kenny	March 6, 1996 (1996-03-06)	11.6[69]
68	20	"Stayin' Alive"	Unknown	Unknown	March 13, 1996 (1996-03-13)	10.5[70]
69	21	"Do You Want to Know a Secret?"	Jim Drake	Katherine Green	April 3, 1996 (1996-04-03)	9.5[71]
70	22	"Double Fault"	Linda Day	Tom Reeder	April 10, 1996 (1996-04-10)	8.7[72]
71	23	"Don't Blame Me"	Art Dielhenn	Rick Newberger	April 29, 1996 (1996-04-29)	15.5[73]
72	24	"The Good Doctor"	Unknown	Unknown	May 6, 1996 (1996-05-06)	15.8[74]
73	25	"L.A. Times"	James Widdoes	Harry Anderson	May 13, 1996 (1996-05-13)	16.2[75]
74	26	"It's Not About That, Either"	James Widdoes	Nick LeRose	May 20, 1996 (1996-05-20)	14.2[76]

Season 4 (1996–97)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Viewers (millions)
75	1	"Based on a True Story"	James Widdoes	Rick Newberger	September 13, 1996 (1996-09-13)	8.6[77]
76	2	"Solitaire"	Jim Drake	Tom Reeder	September 20, 1996 (1996-09-20)	10.3[78]
77	3	"Missed Manners"	Jim Drake	Katherine Green	September 27, 1996 (1996-09-27)	9.5[79]
78	4	"Crime and Coconuts"	Unknown	Unknown	October 4, 1996 (1996-10-04)	9.9[80]
79	5	"Miami Beached"	Unknown	Unknown	October 11, 1996 (1996-10-11)	10.1[81]
80	6	"Daveberry, RFD"	Unknown	Unknown	October 18, 1996 (1996-10-18)	10.3[82]
81	7	"A Very Barry Pumpkin Show"	Unknown	Unknown	November 1, 1996 (1996-11-01)	10.9[83]
82	8	"Falling"	Unknown	Unknown	November 8, 1996 (1996-11-08)	10.8[84]
83	9	"Stress"	Unknown	Unknown	November 22, 1996 (1996-11-22)	9.6[85]
84	10	"Starr Tours"	Unknown	Unknown	December 13, 1996 (1996-12-13)	8.0[86]
85	11	"The Importance of Missing Earnest"	Unknown	Unknown	December 20, 1996 (1996-12-20)	8.7[87]
86	12	"Does the Whale Have to Be White?"	Unknown	Unknown	January 3, 1997 (1997-01-03)	10.12[88]
87	13	"Playdate with a Playmate"	Unknown	Unknown	January 10, 1997 (1997-01-10)	11.41[89]
88	14	"Spontaneous Combustion"	Unknown	Unknown	January 17, 1997 (1997-01-17)	10.80[90]
89	15	"Dave Barry, Call Your Agent"	Unknown	Unknown	January 31, 1997 (1997-01-31)	10.35[91]
90	16	"Touched by an Agent"	Unknown	Unknown	February 7, 1997 (1997-02-07)	9.98[92]
91	17	"Bad News Barry's"	Unknown	Unknown	February 21, 1997 (1997-02-21)	9.70[93]
92	18	"Liar's Poker"	Unknown	Unknown	February 28, 1997 (1997-02-28)	9.49[94]
93	19	"Testing... Testing..."	Unknown	Unknown	April 30, 1997 (1997-04-30)	9.71[95]
94	20	"Tropical Depression"	Unknown	Unknown	May 7, 1997 (1997-05-07)	9.72[96]
95	21	"Oh Dad, Poor Dad"	Unknown	Unknown	June 6, 1997 (1997-06-06)	6.87[97]
96	22	"A Woman of Independent Seams"	Unknown	Unknown	June 13, 1997 (1997-06-13)	6.02[98]
97	23	"Let Simmer, Then Grill"	Unknown	Unknown	June 20, 1997 (1997-06-20)	5.38[99]
98	24	"The Creeping Peril"	Unknown	Unknown	June 27, 1997 (1997-06-27)[1]	5.80[100]

Home media

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) released the first two seasons of Dave's World on DVD in Region 1 in 2008 and 2009.^[101][102] The theme song for the DVD releases was replaced with a generic rock track.

On July 24, 2012, Season 3 was released as a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release via Amazon.com's CreateSpace program.^[103]

DVD Name	Ep#	Release Date
The First Season	23	August 12, 2008
The Second Season	25	February 3, 2009
The Third Season	26	July 24, 2012

Ratings

The show was originally a hit for CBS when it aired on Monday nights. However, by the third season, it was moved to Wednesdays, and the ratings declined. By the fourth season, the show had moved to the "Friday night death slot" and the resulting drop in ratings led to the program's cancellation.